Team Herald
PANJIM: Mounting pressure on the State government, hundreds of citizens including environmentalists, social activists and the general public on Monday gathered outside the Town and Country Planning (TCP) office at Patto, Panjim, demanding to scrap the proposed amendments to the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations, in the interest of Goa and Goans.
The protesters, who were joined by former BJP MLA Alina Saldanha, also demanded the scrapping of the Regional Plan 2021, which was kept in abeyance in 2012 and was partially made operative thereafter.
Activists Claude Alvares, Abhijit Prabhudesai, Jack Mascarenhas, Santan Perreira and others appealed to all Goans to be serious on the issue and to fight tooth and nail against the draft regulations. They urged citizens to wake up and raise their voices as people’s power is supreme. The activists have threatened to intensify their stir if the government fails to listen to their objections to the proposed amendment and goes ahead to notify it. They claimed that the amendments will change the identity and way of life in Goa.
The TCP has already received thousands of objections, with the last date for submitting comments being September 28. Political parties such as Aam Aadmi Party and Revolutionary Goans Party have demanded an extension in time to submit their objections and suggestions.
Jack Mascarenhas, President of Goyche Fuddle Pillge Khatir said, “These regulations are meant only to destroy Goa. People are supreme and people’s power will prevail. We all need to stand up and raise our voices. It is important that we fight together.”
Activist Perreira said that the amendments have been brought only to benefit those who want to do certain things in Goa and to destroy the agriculture fields. “Not one of the amendments is done with any thought. There is no study and no background discussion,” he said.
Former Cortalim MLA Saldanha stating that rules and regulations are basically drafted to protect Goa and its people, saying “But what we see is an attempt to destroy Goa and its identity. We are not against development or progress, but not with some hidden agenda.”
The activists alleged that these regulations are created for ‘certain’ people with ‘hidden motive’ and not for the whole of Goa and these amendments are not at all meant for the general public.
